Local enforcement officials — the harbor master and police — need to focus on preventing poaching in Mecox Bay, Southampton Town Trustee Ann Welker told the Town Board at the board’s meeting on Tuesday, January 24.
Incursions into Mecox Bay by out-of-town thieves who steal crabs continue to be an “extreme concern” for residents.
Last summer, neighbors in homes abutting the bay said the poachers had become increasingly aggressive — walking across their lawns with flashlights during the nights when blue claws were abundant. At the time, Trustee President Scott Horowitz called for a coordinated enforcement effort. This week, Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara said the agencies are agreeable to undertaking such enforcement.
Welker took advantage of the chance to mention the issue during a public hearing on amendments to the town’s shellfishing ordinance. No one other than Welker spoke to the focus of the hearing.
Assistant Town Attorney Sean Cambridge explained the goal of the amendment: to simplify existing language in the code. The amendment is also geared toward clarifying the separate roles of the Town Trustees and town officials. The Trustees set the parameters for both the permitting and preservation of shellfish populations, while town officials hold the enforcement authority.
Discussing the measure earlier in the week, McNamara, the board liaison to the Trustees, pointed out that poaching has been a problem forever, but it’s become “more and more blatant.”
Fines in place didn’t serve to deter the illegal harvesters; they could just write it off as a cost of doing the deed. The fine pales in comparison to the thousands of dollars a poacher may reap from his or her ill-gotten booty.
Last fall, East Hampton Town officials, confronted by the same problem of nighttime seafood stalkers, agreed to double their fines, which started at $150, and create a new “aggravated” level violation for those who work in groups to over-harvest shellfish from town waters or exceed the individual possession limits by more than 25 percent.
The initiative followed a summer during which East Hampton Town authorities issued more than 100 violations for illegal shellfish harvesting, mostly in Georgica Pond, and mostly for not having a required town shellfishing permit. But the thieves found crafty ways, like using a lookout, to avoid detection.
Once counterparts to the east raised fines, McNamara said the last thing officials in Southampton want is for poachers to choose her bailiwick because, “if you get caught, it’s cheaper.”
The fine for a first offense is up to $500; it was $350. Repeat offenders face fines up to $750 for the second offense and up to $1,000 for three violations or more.
Tuesday’s Town Code amendment also speaks of the need for obtaining a permit from the Town Trustees, adhering to their restrictions related to amount, time, and size of shellfish, as well as the prohibition against using anything other than Trustee-approved implements for harvesting.
